A paraphrase upon the canticles and some select hymns of the New and Old Testament, with other occasional compositions in English verse. By Samuel Woodford |
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 | A paraphrase upon the canticles |  |
Sponsa.
'Twas Night, a sad and dismal Night,
Without one gleame of chearful Light;
Silence, and horror seiz'd its place,
And rioted ith' empty space;
When wake'd with dread, Lo! all alone
I found my self, my LOVE was gone.
With trembling Hand, to find him out,
I felt, I sought, but found him not.
At last thus to my self I said,
“I'le up, and see whither he' is stray'd:
“Fearless the City compass round,
“Nor give o're till my LOVE is found.
“No labour spare ith' quest, or pains,
“Through the broad Streets, and narrow Lanes,
“But eve'ry Lane, and every Street,
“Measure out with my weary Feet,
“And thus, or find him, or thus prove,
“My truth to His, and to my Love.
I spake, I rose, but in vain sought,
And tir'd my self, yet found him not.
Him I found not, but they found me,
Who the City-Warders be;
And in their Night-walks compass it,
Amaz'd a stricter Watch to meet,
And thus themselves first askt to be,
“Him, whom my Soul loves did you see?
My steps scarce from them could I move,
But I found Him my Soul does love.
I held him fast, nor would let go my hold,
Chast in my Love, and in his Favour bold,
Till to my Mothers House I brought Him,
And all my adventurous search had taught him,
To the glad room, where I was born,
But in my Birth less joyous than in his return.
And now, fair Daughters of Jerusalem,
Who are, and to your selves more glorious seem,
In his attendance than your own fair stem;
By the Hills, and by the Launs,
By the Roes, and by the Fauns,
By the Fields, and by the Woods,
By the Springs, and by the Floods,
All that I or you count dear,
All he loves, and all I fear:
I charge you, I charge you not to awake
My LOVE from the rest, which now he does take,
Till himself pleases the signal to make!
'Twas Night, a sad and dismal Night,
Without one gleame of chearful Light;
Silence, and horror seiz'd its place,
And rioted ith' empty space;
When wake'd with dread, Lo! all alone
I found my self, my LOVE was gone.
With trembling Hand, to find him out,
I felt, I sought, but found him not.
At last thus to my self I said,
“I'le up, and see whither he' is stray'd:
“Fearless the City compass round,
“Nor give o're till my LOVE is found.
“No labour spare ith' quest, or pains,
“Through the broad Streets, and narrow Lanes,
“But eve'ry Lane, and every Street,
“Measure out with my weary Feet,
“And thus, or find him, or thus prove,
“My truth to His, and to my Love.
22
And tir'd my self, yet found him not.
Him I found not, but they found me,
Who the City-Warders be;
And in their Night-walks compass it,
Amaz'd a stricter Watch to meet,
And thus themselves first askt to be,
“Him, whom my Soul loves did you see?
My steps scarce from them could I move,
But I found Him my Soul does love.
I held him fast, nor would let go my hold,
Chast in my Love, and in his Favour bold,
Till to my Mothers House I brought Him,
And all my adventurous search had taught him,
To the glad room, where I was born,
But in my Birth less joyous than in his return.
And now, fair Daughters of Jerusalem,
Who are, and to your selves more glorious seem,
In his attendance than your own fair stem;
By the Hills, and by the Launs,
By the Roes, and by the Fauns,
By the Fields, and by the Woods,
By the Springs, and by the Floods,
All that I or you count dear,
All he loves, and all I fear:
I charge you, I charge you not to awake
My LOVE from the rest, which now he does take,
Till himself pleases the signal to make!
| A paraphrase upon the canticles | |